


All Those Who Wander

by Sweetestlittledarling



Category: Critical Role (Web Series), Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Gen, collection, critical role season 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-16 04:25:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13628550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetestlittledarling/pseuds/Sweetestlittledarling
Summary: Very Short stories inspired by the cast and happenings of season 2 of Critical Role.





	1. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short Episode 3 coda, just a small scene inspired by Nott's protecting Caleb during the battle.

****

            _“Kill it! Stamp it out!”_

_She runs. She wants to stop, her chest heaving as she tries to take in air. But she can’t stop. Her heart is beating in her chest._

_“Get her! Don’t let her escape!”_

_She hears them getting closer. She knows they are right behind her. She can feel their vile breathing on her neck. Suddenly she is falling, tripping over something unseen, hitting the ground hard. She gets to her knees quickly, but she knows that she can’t get away. So, she turns and faces the shadows._

_“Demon! Monster!”_

_The Shadows at first look like humans, waving their torches and their swords. She can’t see anything but their eyes, their angry eyes all focused on her. They are big and angry but quickly they shift to smaller forms with pointed ears and sharp teeth, glowing cat eyes boring into hers as they charged at her with claws bared._

_“Kill it!”_

Nott awoke with a start, her eyes wide. She looked around and found herself not where she had expected herself to be but surrounded by the forest. Slowly it came back to her: The circus, the fiend, Caleb…. They had decided to take a moment to rest, allowing Fjord and Caleb a moment to gather themselves. Nott had fallen asleep, mostly in a cat nap after many hours of not resting. Jester and Beau were looking through something in the healing kit while Molly was gently taking care of the dwarven girl in his lap. Fjord was sitting by a tree, his eyes watching everyone. And Caleb…For a moment Nott’s heart caught in her throat as she couldn’t see the dirty wizard. But then she found him, sitting with his back against one of the ruined stone walls with his eyes closed.

             Quietly Nott rose and with a rogue’s skill, carefully crept towards Caleb. She remembered what had happened the last time, but she still couldn’t help herself. She had to make sure. She crept towards him, watching as his chest rose and fell. She knew that should have told her what she wanted to know but at the same time, she just had to make sure. She crept even closer, coming up on Caleb’s right side, and gently placed one of her large pointed ears against his chest. She could feel and hear the thump of Caleb’s heart. And instantly the knot inside her goblin chest began to unravel.

             “What are you doing Nott?”

             Caleb’s voice made Nott jump. She looked up quickly and found the wizard looking at her with curious eyes. At least he didn’t blast her with light again. She quickly pulled back, trying to seem innocent as possible. “Sorry Caleb!” she said, her voice trembling, “I didn’t mean to wake you! I know you need your rest…I just…” Looking at his face now, alive, if not a little dirtier with more dirt and just a few flecks of blood…In her mind, she could see him fall. She could see him laying on the ground. She could still feel her heart drop as she thought for just one horrible moment that Caleb was dead. She was going to be alone again. She didn’t want to be alone again.

             Suddenly a gentle hand was placed on her head, she came back to reality. It was Caleb’s hand and he was looking at her with a gentle smile. “I’m going to be okay Nott,” he said, “I will…need some rest, hopefully not as much as last time, but I will be okay. You don’t have to worry. I am still here with you. You are not alone.”

             Nott smiled and hipped a small tear from her eye. “Thanks, Caleb,” she said, her voice soft. “I promise I will try to be faster next time. I will be stronger- “

             “You did fine Nott,” Caleb said, giving her head a friendly rub. “In truth, you saved me again. I once again owe you my life. Not only that but you took on a giant to save me. You truly are the bravest creature I have ever met.”  

             Nott’s smile grew as she felt her chest burst with pride at Caleb’s words. She nuzzled into Caleb’s hand before moving to sit beside him, underneath his arm. “You rest and heal. I will take care of you.”

             Caleb nodded as Frumpkin fluttered down and landed on his shoulder. “Thank you, Nott.” Before closing his eyes, however, Caleb, for a moment, met eyes with Molly. The two men shared a knowing look. They still were almost strangers, but they both could understand the need to take care of the only family they had. Soon Molly looked away and Caleb closed his eyes again. He could feel Nott pressed against him and the flutter Frumpkin’s wings and he was content. They were alive and together, for now everything was good with the world.


	2. Sisters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small thing that I imagined after the intense battle of episode 5. I really was hoping for a scene between Caleb and Nott after Nott being shot but I assumed that it wasn't possible due to time. Luckily I'm able to write my own thing, and somehow Jester kind of worked her way in there (as she always does XD).

               Jester could see it happening. She wished she wasn’t, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away. One moment the Nott was standing there, only a few feet away, and then suddenly her little body was tumbling backward to the ground. The arrow now protruding from her chest was almost as tall as she was. Although Nott is very much green on the outside, her blood was very red. For a moment the world stopped, and Jester couldn’t breathe. She covered her hand with her mouth as her eyes grew wide.

              _They took the first watch, not that they are doing much watching. Jester had her sketchbook on her leg, drawing all manner of mythical beasts (mostly hamster unicorns though). Nott sat next to her on the log, her smaller body giving off a welcome warmth just like the fire in front of them. They sat in silence for a while as Jester hummed to herself softly. It’s not until Jester glanced at her companion that she realizes something. “Why are you still wearing your mask?”_

_Nott looked up in surprise. “What?”_

_“You don’t have to wear your mask you know,” Jester said smiling. “I know that you are a goblin and it’s not like you have to hide. Why don’t you take it off?”_

_“Oh, um, sure.” There was uncertainty in Nott’s voice as she reached up with a hesitant hand and pulled down her porcelain mask, revealing Nott’s many sharp white teeth._

_Jester smiled. “There, doesn’t that feel better?”_

_“I guess so,” Nott said, not really sounding like she believed that._

_As Nott turned back to the fire, Jester watched her new small friend, studying her. She thought that Nott removing her mask would make the goblin more comfortable, but it only seemed to do the opposite by the look on Nott’s face and the downturn of the large green ears. “Something wrong?”_

_“N-no,” Nott stuttered, shifting uncomfortably. “It’s just…Not lot of people want to see my face. When they do people tend to either want to run away or kill me. So, I’ve just become accustomed to hiding from everyone that isn’t Caleb because he’s the only one who doesn’t seem to be frightened of me.”_

_“Because he is your friend?”_

_“Yeah.”_

_“Well, you and I are friends now!” Jester said with a bright shiny smile. “So, you don’t have to worry about showing your face to me because I will not run away or try to kill you!”_

_Nott looked up at Jester, yellow eyes wide. “Do you mean we are girlfriends?” she asked almost innocently._

_Jester’s smile faltered a bit. “While I think you are cute I don’t think- “_

_“I meant friends who are both girls!” Nott blushed as she quickly realized her mistake, cheeks turning a faint kind of purplish color. “It’s just that my clan didn’t have many female goblins, and the ones it did have weren’t very nice. And Caleb is…well…”_

_“A stinky old man?”_

_“That’s one way of putting it, yes. It’s just that he’s a man and I’ve never had any friends who were female. I always wondered what it would be like to have a gal pal.”_

_“Well, now you do!” Jester said proudly, bumping her body playfully into Nott’s. “You and I are now friends! Best friends! Practically sisters in fact!”_

_“Sisters?” Nott said, saying the word as if she was trying to digest the idea. After a moment of thought, the goblin nodded and smiled, her sharp teeth glinting in the firelight. “Yeah, I like that. I’ve never had a sister before! And I think I would like to have a sister like you Jester!”_

Suddenly the world was in motion again and Jester was racing forwards. She stopped at Molly first because he was closer, but her mind was focused on the other body not far away. As soon as she knew Molly was up Jester was moving again. “Nott! Nott!” The goblin’s name was like a mantra to her as she rushed over, near sliding to Nott’s side. She gathered the small body into her lap and for a moment she could swear that Nott was even smaller then Jester remembered. Nott’s green was also paler than before, and there was blood pouring out from her chest along with a little dribble from the corner of her slightly gaping mouth (her mask had fallen off as she fell). Quickly Jester put all her focus into her hands and brought forth the healing spell, praying the Traveler as she did so. _Please, Nott_ , she begged silently. _Please, my sister, don’t die!_

As if traveling back in time the arrow popped from Nott’s chest and clattered to the street as Nott took a gasping breath, a bit of her bright green returning to her cheeks. Jester instantly felt the knot in her chest begin to loosen as she looked down at Nott’s face. “It’s okay,” she murmured, “It’s okay, you are safe!”

             “What the hell were you thinking Nott?” Fjord called over, helping Molly to his feet.

             “I was trying to follow them,” Nott said, still a bit breathless. “I didn’t realize that- “

             “Nott!” This time it was Caleb’s voice calling. The wizard came running around the corner and as his eyes fall upon Nott in Jester’s arms he became pale (which Jester can see even under all that filth). He ran over falling on his knees in front of the two. “Nott are you alright?” His eyes became wide as he looked at the blood. “What happened?”

             Jester, for the first time in a long time, found herself speechless.

             “It’s alright Caleb,” Nott said a small smile on her face. Slowly, as if still in a bit of pain, she shifted out of Jester’s arms and stood up. She picked her mask off the ground and put it on her face. “I’m alright. Just a bit tired is all.  No need to worry.”

             Caleb looked at Nott a moment as if taking in her words. Then he sighed as his shoulder’s slumped. “Don’t scare me like that,” he said, almost sounding fatherly. “When the other’s told me you had run off I…Just don’t do that again okay?”

             Nott nodded. “Okay Caleb,” she said. Frumpkin fluttered down and landed on Nott’s shoulder, rubbing his head against Nott’s cheek. Nott smiled a bit more as she petted the little bird carefully with a clawed hand.

             “Um, I think we should probably help put out this fire,” Beau suggested, as the smoke and ash rose to the sky.

             Caleb nodded as he reached out and took Nott into his arms. With ease Nott climbed up and onto Caleb’s back, resting on his shoulders as Frumpkin remained on hers. As Caleb turned to join the others Nott’s eyes met Jester’s.

             “Thank you,” the little goblin girl said softly.

             Jester watched as Nott and Caleb walked away. Although the knot had been released she still felt her heart beating quickly.

             “You okay?” Fjord asked, offering his hand to her.

             Jester looked up at him. She took in a deep calming breath and then smiled as she took his hand. “Yes, I am fine.”

             They were fine. They had made it through the battle and Nott was alive. The world was okay (except for the burning buildings and dead people).


	3. Family Trade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An extremely short thing that I imagined after seeing Sam saying that Caleb taught Nott magic and Caleb being so proud that Nott had actually performed said magic. I imagine this falls early in their relationship which is why Nott might be a little more scared of making Caleb upset and why she might not have as much confidence in my opinion.

            Caleb awoke to the sound of a bang! He shot up in bed, eyes quickly searching the room. It wasn’t a second before his eyes fell upon the screech form of Nott and the small fire on the nearby table. Without a thought, Caleb called forth a ball of cold and in seconds instead of fire there was a line of ice coating the table and going up to the ceiling. “What hell?” he said as he looked at Nott who was still wheezing a bit, her wide eyes. He followed her gaze and that is when he saw one of his books on the table, a little charred now but still somewhat readable. It was an older one he had already read. He remembered it had been about elemental magic. Caleb swiftly got up from the bed and moved over to his companion. “Nott,” he said kneeling next to her. He reached out and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. She jumped a little before turning to look at him with her wide yellow eyes. “Nott,” he said again, “Were you…”

             “I’m sorry Caleb!” Nott stuttered apologetically. “I didn’t mean to start a fire! I’m really sorry! Please don’t- “

             “It’s okay Nott,” Caleb said, somewhat calmly, trying not to spook the poor goblin girl more. “Okay in truth, it’s not okay. You know that you shouldn’t be fooling around with my books. Elemental spells can be very dangerous if not handled correctly.”

             Nott hung her head. “I know Caleb. I just figured if I could learn something, maybe a bit of magic, then maybe I could be more useful in running our cons.”

             “You are plenty useful Nott,” Caleb assured her. Wait did she say- “Did you say you were trying to learn magic?”

             Nott rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Um, well yeah,” she admitted. “I thought if I could learn to do a bit of magic I could maybe help with distracting people or getting us out of dangerous situations. I know it was silly to try on my own, but I didn’t know if you would want to teach a pathetic goblin girl like me so I thought I had no other choice.”

             Caleb looked at his small friend and felt a twinge of both pride and sadness. Pride in that his companion wanted to learn magic and sadness that the world had broken her down to such a level that she hadn’t thought herself worthy of even his teachings. He gave her should a squeeze and smiled. “But I do want to teach a goblin girl,” he said, “if she wants to learn how to do magic then I will be happy to teach her.”

             Nott’s eyes shot up to Caleb’s and her face broke out into a hopeful smile. “You mean it?”

             “Of course! But we can’t start with a fire spell. I will teach you some small spells to help distract but we must start small. And no more going through my books without my permission deal?”

             “Yes, yes, of course, Caleb!” Nott said, her voice eager. “You won’t regret this Caleb I promise! I will make you so proud of me!”

  


End file.
